Vlad Emilien chooses Michigan

This was not the year that Plantation senior safety Vlad Emilien had looked forward to, but in the end, things are starting to fall into place for the 6-1, 190-pounder.

On Monday, with his team out of the playoffs, Emilien joined teammate Brandon McGee (University of Miami) in announcing his college choice, and the gifted athlete will head to Ann Arbor to play for the Michigan Wolverines.

Injured before the season began, Emilien, one of the top prospects in the state, joins a growing list to follow Rich Rodriguez to Ann Arbor, where the team suffered through a rare (3-9) losing season. But with local players such as Emilien, kicker Brendan Gibbons (West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman), running back Vincent Smith and linebacker Brandin Hawthorne (Pahokee), things are sure to improve.